wuthering heights //elmax

-21-

will

whatever you think it is, it's not. mike and I are really close friends and have been since kindergarten like obviously we just have that connection.

about a year after we broke up and I was in California I met a guy. his name was ben and he wore these circle shaped glasses, loved to read, and had curly fluffy brown hair. we started dating and it went on for months until i get this letter in the mail.

"dear will,
i should've wrote to you this whole time and i'm sorry i haven't. you're my best friend and I miss you. everything has felt off since you left like empty. i just wanted to give you space but instead i lost touch with the only person i truly know in a way i can trust. i won't ever regret the day I kissed you because it changed things for us and i'm glad it did. of course our friendship will always be first but i love you will byers and I always will. please visit when you have the chance.

your friend,
mike"

to sum it all up, this letter was stuffed under my pillow for months until one day ben finds it and breaks up with me. thanks mike way to go. and then my mom breaks news to me that we're visiting hawkins for the summer which means fresh off a breakup and I'm seeing my ex who also happens to be my childhood best friend (it's complicated).

now i'm laying in the sleeping bag next to him in the middle of the night trying to decide if I should bring up that letter when I see the motion light outside on.

"guys what are you doing out here?" I ask looking at max and jane who were obviously about to kiss. everyone knows they were into each other but the mystery of it was if they ever were together. jane won't tell me shit.

"jane dragged me out here for a damn cat" max says stepping way too obviously away from jane.

"hey look i was scared."

"mhm." max groans.

"um well you should probably get inside."

"what's going on with you and mike?" max boldly asks.

"uh nothing-" i stumble on my words

"doesn't look like it" she smirks.

jane remains quiet but looks at me with intensity

"mike has barely been present these past couple of years but let me just tell you, he has talked the most these past couple of months than the past two years because of you." max says smugly.

"really?" i try to hide my smile.

"yeah, he even wrote you this cheesy letter that me, lucas, and dustin found. we're technically not supposed to know about it."

"oh." i reach into my pocket to check if the letter is there.

there's a long pause of silence as we stand outside.

"i should get to bed" max says turning towards the door.

"wait-" jane says following her.

"not now"

"we should talk about-"

"leave me alone i just wanna sleep" I hear their voices fade out as I stand outside.

I don't know how to tell him that I still love him. I walk back inside and close the door getting into my sleeping bag again.

"will?" a hushed voice asks in the darkness.

"i'm here." I say back.

"good" and we both fall back asleep.

mike

the morning arrives and I wake up to see a sleeping will on me. it was probably just a weird coincidence. there's no way he feels that way about me anymore from what I've heard he has a boyfriend and I did a shitty move sending that letter. in my defense I didn't know and then jane informed me about the boyfriend but then never followed up on what happened with their relationship after the letter. they're probably still together.

"good morning" will says looking up at mr sleepily.

"uh hi I'm hungry" I say nervously and abruptly get up running upstairs.

"mike, honey, don't run in the house" my mom says disapprovingly.

"sorry mom"

"hey morning" jane says grabbing an eggo from my freezer and eating it.

"you eat those frozen?" I look at her in disbelief.

"yes they're delicious" she grins.

"I can't believe you" I shake my head.

we stand in the kitchen in silence until she breaks it. "they broke up you know."

"huh?" I ask pretending to not know what she meant but a flicker of hope sparks inside of me.

"it was really weird and will never told me why but ben wasn't on the same page and dumped him"

"oh that really sucks"

"does it?" she looks at me.

"yeah I mean I'm sure he was a nice guy"

"maybe, I always thought he lacked personality like where's the sarcasm."

"really?" I chuckle.

she sits down next to me on a stool at the island in the kitchen. "max is being weird..."

"oh I know and I thought I was the weird one."

"i just wanna talk to her but she keeps shutting me out "

"give her time" I sigh.

"you know you should try to talk to will."

"what if he doesn't feel the same way anymore?"

"trust me, he does. you can tell just by the way he looks at you."

"yeah?"

"yeah." she smiles reassuringly.

"you got breakfast mike?" will says walking into the kitchen.

"yup I did." I say blushing a little.

"good good." will says also blushing a little.

"i'm gonna go see what everyone else is up to" jane says leaving us alone in the kitchen.

I stare at the tiles on the floor for awhile in silence as will rustles in the kitchen to find something to eat. he keeps reaching into his pocket and fiddling with something.

"i heard about you and ben" I say breaking the silence.

"oh uh... yeah" will freezes standing facing the cabinets

"what happened?" I ask curiously.

"he didn't think we were on the same page"

"oh I'm sorry"

"it's okay " will shrugs turning around and then takes something out of his pocket.

it looks like a folded up piece of paper similar to the one I used to write the letter. he places it on the island in front of me.

"what is this?"

"you know what it is." he says.

I open the letter to read my own handwriting. he actually got the letter.

"you read it?" I ask looking at him.

"and kept it" he nods.

"why?"

"because I still love you" will responds staring at me.